Unity move on right track, says Patowary

Staff reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 22 – Newly-elected president of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Chandra Mohan Patowary today launched a scathing attack against the Congress-led Government in Assam and claimed that the regional party would be able to retain power in the State in 2011. He also asserted that the process of unification of the regional parties was going in the right direction. Addressing a Press conference here today, Patowary, who assumed office as the president of the AGP yesterday under unusual circumstances after the general council of the party expressed no- confidence against Brindaban Goswami, said that the AGP would prepare an action plan to remove regional imbalance and solve the burning problems of the State. He revealed that he would also hold talks with the non-political organisations upholding the issues concerning the people of Assam to take their suggestions in strengthening regionalism. He asserted that the AGP would continue to raise the issues concerning the people of Assam both inside and outside the Assembly in the days to come.

Patowary started his first day in the head office of the AGP as the president by launching an attack on the State Government and said that the present Government shattered the economy of the State and the per capita debt burden has increased to Rs 8500. He said at a time when Gujarat attracted investments worth Rs 11 lakh crores, Assam failed to attract any despite several foreign tours of the Chief Minister.

Alleging that the Government is not keen on solving the problem of insurgency through talks, Patowary said that the Congress wanted to keep the issue alive and that is why the peace process to bring the ULFA to the negotiation table was stalled even after three rounds of talks between the Government of India and the PCG formed by the militant outfit. He said that the Government did not start the process of talks with the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) as it might antagonise former BLT chief Hagrama Mahilary, whose party is the alliance partner of the Congress.

On the problem of flood and erosion, the AGP president alleged that the Congress led Central Government was not sincere in finding permanent solution to the problem. He said that the Centre announced a Rs 500 package for the State only after the people of Assam launched an agitation, which proved that the people of the State have to agitate even to get flood relief.

Patowary described infiltration of foreigners as one of the major problems facing the State and demanded that Indo-Bangla border should get the same priority as the Indo-Pak border. He alleged that despite the fact that all political parties including the AUDF and non-political organizations have accepted March 25, 1971 as the cut off date for identifying foreigners, the Government was delaying the process of updating the National Register of Citizens only to keep the vote bank of the Congress intact. He also said that the Members of Parliament of the AGP have been raising these issues forcefully on the floor of the Parliament.

The general council of the AGP yesterday also adopted a resolution that those who would come back to the party after unification would not be given any “senior post” for a period of three years. When asked whether this resolution would affect the unification process, Patowary said, “I am confident that the resolution would not affect the process as everyone wants a strong regional force.” He also said that the committee headed by Phani Bhushan Choudhury, formed by the party to hold parleys with other regional forces on the issue of unification, has also been authorized to finalize the modalities for unification.

Choudhury, who was also present in the Press conference, asserted that the resolution would not have any effect on the unification process. “Only this morning I spoke to TGP president Pulakesh Baruah and he categorically stated that they are not after party posts,” he added.

Replying to a question on what would be the role of former president Brindaban Goswami in the party, Patowary said that Goswami has been a senior leader of the party and he would always seek suggestions from his predecessor.

Patowary also said that the AGP has started the process of talks with all opposition parties to explore the possibility of preventing division of non-Congress votes in the Lok Sabha polls.
source: assam tribune